Grand Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri died yesterday at age of 87, FARS reported. He was an Iranian scholar, theologian, writer and human rights activist. He was one of the leaders of the Iranian Revolution in 1979. He was best known as the one-time designated successor to the revolution's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini who fell out with Khomeini in 1989 over government policies that Montazeri claimed infringed on freedom and denied people's rights. Montazeri lived in the holy city of Qom, and remained politically influential in Iran, especially upon reformist politics. He was a senior Islamic scholar and a Grand Marja (religious authority) of Islam.
For almost three decades, Hossein Ali Montazeri has been one of the main critics of the Islamic Republic's domestic and foreign policy. He has also been an active advocate of civil rights and women's rights in Iran. Montazeri is a prolific writer and has authored a number of books and articles.